


Don't You Forget About Me

by Salmon_I



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, F/M, Memory Loss, Undefined Illness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-20
Updated: 2019-08-20
Packaged: 2020-09-18 19:08:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20318014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Salmon_I/pseuds/Salmon_I
Summary: “So what’s been going on with you?”  Liz asked her when she joined her for drinks at the Wild Pony."What do you mean?" Maria asked her, doing her best to look like she didn't know what she was talking about."Maria…""I don't know, it's just been such a crazy month. Crazy set of months. Things have been slipping my mind. I'll wake up convinced it's Monday, and it's Tuesday.  I'll think I didn't pay a bill and go to pay it and it's paid.  Just little ghings… little things." She corrected herself.Liz frowned, straightening.  "You did that before at the UFO Emporium Gala.  Said Zupple instead of puzzle.  Maria-""I'm fine. Just overworked and tired, Liz.""Okay.  Well, I'm here. If you need anything."





	Don't You Forget About Me

The first time it happened was at the UFO Emporium Gala. There’s drink involved, and a drugged drink as she later learned, so Liz didn’t think anything of it.

“You fit right under his chin like a perfect little zupple piece -- pu.. Puzzle piece.”

“Whoa. Puzzle Piece.”

“Puzzle piece.”

They both laughed.

* * *

"..and Thompson broke three tables." Maria was seated in one of the chairs around Michael's fire while he worked on a customer's car. She'd been sharing the story of the latest drunken brawl at the Wild Pony he'd missed.

"Three tables? He repeated. He'd broken furniture at the Wild Pony before but the tables were pretty sturdy and he had a hard time imagining anyone breaking three.

"Chairs. Did I say tables?"

"You did say tables."

"Chairs. He broke three chairs."

"That makes more sense. If anyone breaks three tables, I want to be there to see it."

"If anyone breaks three tables, Guerin, it will probably be you."

"Ouch. I feel attacked." He glanced over at Maria, enjoying her amused smile, and the slip up was easily forgotten.

* * *

  
The second time it happened, it gave Liz a pause. It was a text asking if she wanted ice cream when they met up that night. She sent back asking if she wanted to meet up again, and if everything was alright. Maria didn’t text back right away, but when she did it was to say she meant next week, because they’d just met up last night. The way she phrased it was odd and she asked again if everything was okay. Maria assured her it was just a crazy month and she kept forgetting what day of the week it was. It sounded odd, and she decided to talk to her about it the next time they saw each other.

* * *

The first time it happened, Michael didn’t think anything of it. Maria was getting dressed for the day, and she hadn’t thrown him out of her bed yet - which was a vast improvement on previous partners over the years. “Do you have to get up so early?”

“My liquor shipment is due today.” Maria told him. “Someone has to take it.”

“I thought your shipment came yesterday.” He told her, confused.

“No, it comes on Mondays.”

“It’s Tuesday.”

“Very funny. You’re not getting me back in bed, Cowboy.”

“No, I'm serious, it’s Tuesday.” Michael repeated.

Maria picked up her phone from the nightstand, then stared at the screen a moment. “It’s Tuesday.”

“Did I blow your mind last night?” MIchael teased with a grin.

“Don’t flatter yourself.” Maria tossed her pillow at him.

“So, you can come back to bed.” Michael caught the pillow with ease.

“Or you could get dressed and we could get breakfast together. Because unlike me, your working hours are daytime.”

“Nobody ever comes to Sander’s Auto on Tuesday mornings. This is Roswell.” Michael complained.

Maria leaned in to kiss him, but pulled back when he tried to tug her closer. “Get up. Let’s get breakfast.”

He flopped back with a groan of complaint, her slip up of days forgotten.

* * *

“So what’s been going on with you?” Liz asked her when she joined her for drinks at the Wild Pony.

"What do you mean?" Maria asked her, doing her best to look like she didn't know what she was talking about.

"Maria…"

"I don't know, it's just been such a crazy month. Crazy set of months. Things have been slipping my mind. I'll wake up convinced it's Monday, and it's Tuesday. I'll think I didn't pay a bill and go to pay it and it's paid. Just little ghings… little things." She corrected herself.

Liz frowned, straightening. "You did that before at the UFO Emporium Gala. Said Zupple instead of puzzle. Maria-"

"I'm fine. Just overworked and tired, Liz."

"Okay. Well, I'm here. If you need anything."

"I just need a night off."

"So let's do it. I'll get Ros-Romina." She corrected the name last minute. It was hard to call her sister by a new name but there was no way she could have come back to town as Rosa. Romina Ortecho - a younger cousin of Liz who resembled her dead sister - that was passable. In some ways Rosa seemed to enjoy getting a chance to live life as someone new, but it was also hard on them both as well. "And we'll party."

"I don't know, it's a busy night. I could get good tips."

"Workaholic is a disease. C'mon."

"Mmmnnn… okay "

* * *

“Y’know, you’re not wearing your necklace.” Liz pointed out. She, Rosa, and Maria were on the Crashdown Cafe. She and Maria were drinking, but Rosa had told them she would watch over their dumb asses. Despite being eight years younger than her now, Rosa still felt she was the big sister. Liz would be lying if she said she didn’t like it.

“It’s funny, I never used to forget to put it on, but some days lately I have been.” Maria admitted.

“I always loved that necklace.” Rosa mentioned.

“I said that too!” Liz raised her hand with a small cheer.

“We should be doing something besides lying around up here.” Maria had opted to lie on her back for a better look at the stars. The Ortecho sisters were sitting besides the sign. “Signing. Dancing.”

“We should go downstairs and make fries and milkshakes.” Rosa suggested.

“Yes!” Liz seconded.

“Let’s do it!” Maria pushed herself up, and went over to tug the other two woman to their feet.

* * *

“I think something’s wrong with Maria.” Michael’s voice was laced with concern, and Liz leaned closer on the counter to keep the conversation private.

“What do you mean?”

“She’s just… she keeps messing up the days.”

“Well, people do occasionally do that, Michael.”

“No, I mean. Not like saying it’s Thursday when it’s Wednesday. I mean, she won’t remember things that happened a previous day. Taking a supply order at The Wild Pony, that we got coffee together the previous day. Or anything we talked about.”

“Maybe she’s just overworked.” LIz suggested.

“I… I don’t know, maybe. Has she ever… messed up words around you?”

Liz felt her heart stop. “Like what?”

“Like said one word when she means another, or mix up letters?”

“...Yes.”

“So it’s just something she does sometimes?” Michael looked relieved, even hopeful.

Liz felt the opposite. “Only since the UFO Emporium. Only since...”

  
“Noah?” MIchael filled in. The weight of that name brought them both down. “Do you… do you think he did something to her? Wasn’t careful with her mind?”

“Look, I’ll talk to her, okay?”

* * *

“Hey.” Rosa entered The Wild Pony with a bag from the Crashdown Cafe. “You should really get a better lock on your doors cuz just about anyone could…” She trailed off.

Maria was seated on a stool of the bar crying. She looked up. “Ros-Romina. People need to stop kipping my locks… picking my…” She broke off into a sob.

Rosa was there in an instant, tossing the bag on the bar top and pulling her into her arms. She muttered soothing words in spanish, petting Maria’s hair. “Tell me what’s going on.”

“It’s happening to me.”

“What’s happening to you, huh?”

“The same thing that happened to my Mom. It’s happening to me. I… I can’t remember what happened yesterday. At all. And then, there’s more. There’s words. Words aren’t making sense sometimes. It’s like someone is speaking a foreign language, even though I know they aren’t.”

“Shh… shh… we’ll figure it out.”

“But they haven’t. They don’t know what’s wrong with my mom. If the same thing is happening to me - Romina, what do I do?”

“Just trust me, I’ve got you. I’ve got you, and you’re going to be okay.”

Maria clung to her, and let the tears fall.

* * *

“We can’t heal damage to a mind.” Michael reminded Liz.

“Has anyone ever tried?”

“You know we haven’t tried a lot with our powers. Doesn’t mean we should go trying something like that. I mean, if this is Noah’s fault, we could make things worse. He understood our powers better.”

“We need answers.” Liz paced. “About what all your species can do.”

Michael shrugged his shoulders helplessly. “We don’t have answers to that.”

“Maybe Kyle and Alex do.” Liz reminded him.

For the most part Michael had avoided the files to Project Sheppard since they’d gotten Max back. They contained all the worse nightmares Max, Isobel, and he had dreamed up over the years, and some they’d never imagined. Ten years ago, Project Sheppard had still been sanctioned. Ten years ago, if they had been caught during the murders, they would have ended up at Caulfield, too. There were nights that the guilt of covering the murders made Michael wonder if they wouldn’t have deserved it. Every time he looked at information from the prison, though, he was selfish enough to admit he’d do it again to avoid that fate.

* * *

“I’m sorry, what month is it?” Maria asked as Michael clasped her necklace on her. “Nn.” She pressed the heel of her hand to her head.

“The headache again?”

“Yah, don’t worry - it passes.” Maria assured him, toying with her mother’s pendant.

“I’ll get you some aspirin anyway.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead.

Maria gave him a pained smile. “The month?” She asked again.

Michael looked at her, troubled. “Beginning of February.”

“Right…” Maria’s expression was troubled.

* * *

“Don’t touch those.” Liz reminded Michael as he glanced wearily at the flowers she now had growing in a greenhouse on the Crashdown Cafe rooftop.

“I feel kinda ill just looking at them.” He backed away.

“Figuratively or Literally?” Liz asked him.

“Just figurative. I handled the pollen before. But knowing what it can do? I hate that we’re literally growing something that can kill us.”

“And cure Maria.”

“That’s why I’m not uprooting them and tossing them in the nearest garbage.”

“It’s also possible this may help, but not cure.” Liz reminded him.

“I know.”

* * *

“Liz says you worked with her to help make this.” Maria had a cup of the tea in front of her on the bar counter.

“Yah.” Michael admitted. “Though I’m under strict orders not to touch it. And definitely not drink it.”

The tea that was fixing the damage that was done to her mind was deadly to the three of them. Maria had insisted on trying the tea first, but since it was working she’d begun making it for Mimi, too. Whether or not either would regain the memories lost had yet to be seen. It seemed they were both able to retain memories again, though. And the confusion had faded.

The flowers in the necklace had prevented damage to Mimi until she’d removed it at Maria’s graduation. And, likewise, Maria had been fine until she had spent time not wearing it. It truly had protected them from danger. Maria had promised her mother to never take the necklace off again, and Rosa was working on making a different one for Mimi from the flowers they now grew.

“So be sure not to accept drinks from strangers.” Maria lectured him.

“Why do you not want me to have any fun?” Michael teased back. When she gave him a warning look, he sobered. “So you don’t remember anything after the Gala?”

Maria shook her head. “It’s all just blank. Months of memories just gone.”

Michael nodded, looking away and taking a deep breath. “Well, maybe they’ll return. Y’know. Once you drink enough.”

“I hope so. I really want my mom to get her memories back, y’know?”

Michael nodded, and stood up. “Well, I’ll see you around.”

“No doubt causing bar fights in my bar.” Maria accused.

“Yah, I… um, don’t really do that anymore.” Michael confessed.

“Oh? Wow, what did I miss?”

“... a lot.” Michael admitted. “But, um, mostly I just had some help getting my act together.”

“Well, that’s good, right?”

“Yah… yah, it’s good.”

“Hey!” Rosa bounded in, carrying Crashdown Cafe Bags and a drink carrier. “Who wants Milkshakes and fries?

“Yummy!” Maria held out her hands.

“I should go.” Michael turned to leave.

“Nope.” Liz, who had followed Rosa in, linked her arm through his. “You’re staying. Everyone is coming over for a party.”

“Is that so? Did I volunteer to host this?” Maria challenged her.

“Absolutely.” Rosa told her.

“She’s lying.” Michael assured her.

“Well, I never say no to a party.” Maria grinned.

“That’s the spirit!” Rosa cheered. “I'm playing first!” She wandered over to grab up the guitar from the stage.

Liz glanced at Michael, who shook his head. She offered a half hug, before tugging on Maria’s hand where she had started on the fries. “Let’s dance!”

“You bring fries and now you want to dance?” Despite her words, Maria was already up.

“C’mon, you too.” Liz tugged on Michael’s arm.

“Didn’t you learn about my lack of dancing skills in Texas?” He reminded her.

“Oh, yah, they’re worse than Max’s, but it still gets you out of nothing.”

“Yep, this is what happens when you have friends. You get out of nothing.” Maria pulled his other arm and together they got him in front of the stage as Rosa began to strum the guitar.

  
_Fini_

**Author's Note:**

> I was hit by a random thought based on the UFO Emporium Gala scene, where Maria isn’t wearing her necklace, and her mentioning her mother taking it off her own neck to putting it on Maria’s when she turned 18. Which means all her issues started after she stopped wearing the necklace.


End file.
